Merry Christmas! Check Out the REAL Reason Rudolph’s Nose is Red

Ever wonder why the classic Christmas reindeer has a bright red honker? Well, a group of researchers recently reported in the British Medical Journal that Rudolph's red nose is basically just a natural, healthy reaction to a good workout. (Yes, even the most respected medical journals like to have a little fun sometimes.)

To clarify: The researchers compared the amount of blood vessels in humans noses versus reindeers’, and found that the animals have about a 25% higher concentration than we do. Those vessels, which are filled with red blood cells, rush to the surface and produce a rosy glow when blood gets flowing–kinda like how our faces get red after a hard run. Only in Rudolph’s case, this hard run involves pulling a jolly old man all the way around the world. Or, in the researchers’ words:

“The exceptional physical burden of flying with a sleigh with Santa Claus as a heavy load could have caused cerebral and bodily hyperthermia [Ed. note: fancy word for overheating], resulting in an overworked nasal cooling mechanism that resembles an overheated cooling radiator in a car.”

So it turns out Rudolph’s nose is nothing to make fun of–and neither are our red faces at the gym. Make like a magical reindeer and rock that workout-induced glow with pride around the fire with family and friends today. Have a Merry Christmas, SELF Readers!